ED found multi-layered transactions between the firms owned by Jindal to Rao's firms, and "illegal money" was routed for alleged favours given for the allocation of coal firms to Jindal in Jharkhand. (PTI)

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has slapped money laundering charges against former Minister of State in the Coal Ministry Dasari Narayana Rao and Congress MP Naveen Jindal in connection with its probe in the Coal blocks allocation case.

The agency, which has registered an FIR under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), taking cognisance of the CBI complaints in these allocations, has also named members and officials of the 35th screening committee (government constituted multi-member body).

The agency, according to sources, has framed the charges after it found multi-layered transactions between the firms owned by Jindal to Rao’s firms based in Hyderabad and “illegal money” was routed for alleged favours given for the allocation of coal firms to Jindal in Jharkhand in 2008 by Rao.

The same charges have been made by the CBI in their criminal complaint under the Prevention of Corruption Act against these individuals and firms.

The anti-laundering agency has now begun ascertaining banking and other transactions made by the accused firms and individuals even as it is evaluating movable and immovable assets of those named in the FIR.

The ED, till now, has registered similar cases under the PMLA against all those who have been booked by the CBI in the Coal blocks allocation case.

During the course of the same investigation, the ED will also look into the issue of any foreign exchange “contravention” by all these firms which have now been asked by the agency to furnish relevant documents, sources said.